U.S. patent number 5,152,612 [Application Number 07/812,078] was granted by the patent office on 1992-10-06 for collapsible article with attached storage pouch.
Invention is credited to Peter J. Shoemaker.
United States Patent |
5,152,612 |
Shoemaker |
October 6, 1992 |
**Please see images for:
( Certificate of Correction ) ** |
Collapsible article with attached storage pouch
Abstract
A combination of a collapsible article made of flexible material
with an attached storage pouch in which the pouch is integrally
attached to the article. The article may be a collapsible bag or an
article of clothing or the like. The storage pouch has a support
wall and a panel attached on three sides to the support wall which
together form a pocket-like opening. A locking flap is attached on
one side to the panel and at two opposite ends to the panel and to
the support wall. When the pouch is in an empty position the
locking flap is inside the pouch secured between the panel and the
support wall. When the pouch is turned inside out, the article may
be collapsed and inserted into the pouch and the locking flap may
be reversed to cover the opening of the pouch and secure the
article therein.
Inventors: |
Shoemaker; Peter J. (Pacifica,
CA) |
Family
ID: |
27115084 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/812,078 |
Filed: |
December 19, 1991 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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749253 |
Aug 23, 1991 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
383/6; 383/4;
383/40; 383/87 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A41D
3/00 (20130101); A45C 7/0077 (20130101); B65D
31/12 (20130101); A41D 2400/422 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A41D
3/00 (20060101); A45C 7/00 (20060101); B65D
30/22 (20060101); B65D 033/06 () |
Field of
Search: |
;383/4,6,38,39,40,37,87 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
L'Eggs 1991 advertisement for tote bag..
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Primary Examiner: Marcus; Stephen
Assistant Examiner: Pascua; Jes F.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Skinner; Kathleen A.
Parent Case Text
This is a continuation-in-part of co-pending application Ser. No.
07/749,253 filed Aug. 23, 1991, now abandoned for a Collapsible Bag
with Attached Storage Pouch, now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. In combination with a collapsible article made of flexible
material, a storage pouch integrally attached to the article, said
storage pouch comprising
a support wall,
a panel attached on three sides to said support wall and to said
article, said support wall and said panel forming a pocketlike
opening, and
a locking flap attached on one side to said panel and attached at
two opposite ends to said support wall and to said panel, said
locking flap being disposed between said support wall and said
panel when said pouch is in a first position whereby when said
pouch is turned inside out, said article may be collapsed and
inserted into said pouch and said locking flap may be reversed to
cover the opening of said pouch and secure the article therein in a
compact form.
2. The storage pouch of claim 1 wherein the support wall of the
storage pouch comprises a surface of the article and the locking
flap is an extension of the panel, said extension being folded
inwardly toward said article when the pouch is in said first
position and secured at opposite ends between said panel of the
pouch and said article.
3. The storage pouch of claim 1 wherein the width of the locking
flap is at least one-half the width of the panel of the pouch.
4. The combination storage pouch and article of claim 1 wherein the
article is a collapsible bag having a bottom portion and wall
portions defining at their upper ends an open end of the bag, said
bag also having handles attached to the bag proximate the open end
thereof.
5. The combination storage pouch and collapsible bag of claim 4
wherein said bag is constructed primarily of a single piece of
strong, lightweight fabric having a hem on at least one end of said
fabric, with the side edges of said fabric joined together by
longitudinal seams to form said wall portions of the bag and said
pouch is disposed proximate the open end of said bag.
6. The combination storage pouch and collapsible bag of claim 4
wherein a plurality of pocket-like storage pouches are disposed on
the exterior of said bag proximate the open end thereof, one of
said storage pouches sized to contain more than one bag.
7. The combination storage pouch and collapsible bag of claim 5
wherein the handles are two carrying handles having their ends
secured in opposed relation to each other proximate the open end of
the bag, the bag further comprising a pair of smaller opposed
alignment handles attached to the bag proximate its open end and
substantially parallel to the upper ends of the walls.
8. The combination storage pouch and article of claim 1 wherein the
article is an article of clothing having front and back surfaces
and the storage pouch is attached to one of said surfaces.
9. A collapsible bag made of flexible material with attached
storage pouch comprising
a bag constructed of a lightweight strong material and having a
bottom portion and wall portions forming at their upper ends an
open end of the bag;
a pair of carrying handles secured to said bag in opposed relation
proximate the open end thereof;
a reversible storage pouch integrally attached to the bag and sized
to fit at least one collapsed bag, said storage pouch comprising in
a first position a panel having an end portion folded inwardly
toward said bag to form a locking flap, said panel being attached
along three sides to a surface of the bag to form a pocket-like
opening at the folded end of said panel, said locking flap being
attached at opposite ends to said panel and to the surface of said
bag and disposed therebetween whereby when said pouch is reversed,
said locking flap will be disposed on the exterior of said pouch,
said bag may be collapsed and inserted into the pouch in its
reversed position and said locking flap may be folded over the
opening of said reversed pouch to secure its contents.
10. The collapsible bag of claim 9 wherein said bag, said pouch,
and said handles are constructed of nylon fabric and said pouch is
disposed on the exterior surface of the bag proximate the open end
thereof.
11. The collapsible bag of claim 9 wherein the width of said
locking flap is at least one-half the width of the panel of the
pouch.
12. The collapsible bag of claim 9 further comprising a plurality
of storage pouches disposed on the exterior of said bag proximate
the open end thereof, one of said storage pouches sized to contain
more than on bag.
13. The collapsible bag of claim 9 further comprising a pair of
smaller opposed alignment handles attached to the exterior of the
bag proximate its open end and substantially parallel to the upper
ends of said bag.
14. The collapsible bag of claim 12 wherein a pouch handle is
attached to said pouch and is disposed in the interior of said
pouch when the pouch is in said first position, said pouch handle
being disposed on the exterior of the pouch when said pouch is in a
reversed position.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of collapsible flexible
articles which are desirably stored in a more compact form when
they are not in use. The invention more particularly relates to a
storage pouch integrally attached to an article such as a raincoat
or jacket or a reusable permanent bag for carrying groceries,
sundries, books, toys, or beach, picnic, or other items.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Virtually every type of store currently gives bags to its customers
for carrying items purchased in the store. These bags have
typically been made of either paper or plastic and are usually
given free with the purchase. Most people regard these bags as
disposable and throw them away after only one use.
With the recent concern over environmental problems, there has been
an attempt to reduce the use of such disposable bags. Programs have
been set up to recycle paper and plastic bags, but recycling, even
while being preferred over disposal, still has a significant
environmental cost. Environmental experts agree that the best
course of action is for consumers to acquire durable permanent bags
which can be reused indefinitely to carry items purchased by the
consumer.
A variety of such permanent reusable bags have been made available.
Most of these bags are made of canvas, cloth, string mesh, or a
synthetic material such as nylon. Even though these bags have been
heavily publicized and are often offered at discount prices, very
few people currently use these reusable bags on a regular basis.
Although it is believed that most people are concerned with
environmental problems, the vast majority of consumers still use
disposable bags because the permanent bags currently available do
not provide the convenience that people require.
In order to use empty bags, which must be carried by the consumer
into the store before purchase, the bags must be easily portable in
an empty state. It is also necessary, especially in grocery stores,
to use more than one bag to carry all purchases, so it is important
to be able to carry multiple empty bags conveniently. Moreover,
many types of bags, such as those made from canvas and sturdy
cloth, are bulky and awkward to carry in a collapsed state. String
bags, while being more compact, are not self-contained when
compressed and can easily become entangled with other objects; it
is difficult to carry more than one of them. Nylon bags, which are
relatively stronger than the others, and are water resistant and
washable, are the most convenient of the reusable bags. They can
also be collapsed into a compact state, but it is necessary to
confine them into a pouch or the like in order to make it
convenient to carry them in a collapsed state.
One attempt to solve the portability problem has been to attach a
separate pouch to the bag, for instance, to its carrying handle or
to a hem along the opening of the bag. The bag may then be stuffed
into this pouch, which is then secured by some kind of fastener,
typcially, by either a zipper or Velcro strips. Another attempted
solution to these problems has been to use a stiff material on the
bottom of the bag, which can be folded up to cover a stiff pouch
which is then secured by a zipper along its outer edge. However,
all of these solutions, while improvements over earlier bags, still
require some kind of special fastener and none of them provide an
easy means for carrying multiple bags.
Thus, none of the prior art provides a strong, easiliy collapsible,
reusable lightweight bag which can be easily stored when not in use
in a conveniently located pouch which cannot become detached and
lost and which can be easily manufactured at a low cost without
additional fasteners or stiffening means and which, in addition,
can be adapted to carry multiple bags.
In addition, there are many times when it is desirable to carry an
article of cloting which may be needed while one is out, such as a
raincoat or light jacket, but which one would like to carry in a
compact form until it is needed. Separate pouches are easily
misplaced and zippered or Velcro pouches attached to the article
are undesirable from a manufacturing and aesthetic point of view.
The present invention provides a solution to these needs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a combination of a collapsible article
made of flexible material with a storage pouch integrally attached
to the article. The article may be a bag with a bottom portion and
wall portions and an open end for the insertion of items to be
carried. The bag has handles which are attached near the open end
and a storage pouch which is integrally attached to the bag. The
storage pouch has a support wall, which may be a surface of the
article itself, and a panel which is attached on three sides to the
support wall and to the article so that a pocket is formed on the
surface of the bag or other article. A locking flap is attached to
the panel along one side and it is attached on its opposite ends to
both the support wall and the panel when the pouch is in its first
position; that is, when the pouch is empty, the locking flap is
disposed between the support wall and the panel. When the pouch is
turned inside out, the locking flap is disposed on the exterior of
the pouch. The bag or other article may be collapsed and inserted
into the reversed pouch and the locking strap may then be folded
over to cover the opening of the pouch and secure the pouch and its
contents in compact form without any additional fastening means.
The size of the storage pouch may be varied from a small size which
will hold a single bag to a larger pouch into which a large article
of clothing or more than one bag may be placed. The invention can
be adapted to provide on each bag at least two sizes of pouches for
single or multiple bag storage.
Thus, it is one object of this invention to provide a compact pouch
which is conveniently and permanently secured to a bag or article
of clothing so that the pouch cannot become detached and misplaced.
Another object of this invention is to provide a strong,
lightweight, reusable bag which may have a plurality of storage
pouches, one of which can be sized to hold multiple bags in a
convenient container, thereby allowing one to carry enough bags to
carry all of one's purchases. The design of the pouch also provides
a unique means to close and secure the pouch containing the
collapsed bag(s) in compact format without the need for zippers,
Velcro strips or other closing mechanisms which can become damaged
or lost. This invention, which can be made entirely from strong
nylon, is therefore easier and less expensive to manufacture, it is
very versatile and lightweight and is therefore more convenient for
consumers to purchase and use.
Other advantages and objects of the invention will become apparent
when it is considered in conjunction with the accompanying
drawings.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the combined
collapsible article and attached storage pouch of this invention
illustrating one form of the attached storage pouch with a carrying
bag;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1,
showing the storage pouch in schematic form;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the pouch and
bag of the invention, illustrating the first position of the
pouch;
FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the storage pouch of FIG. 3
in reversed position with the bag partially inserted therein;
FIG. 5 is cross-sectional view taken along line 5--5 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the storage pouch with the bag
inserted therein and illustrating the manner of folding over the
locking flap;
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the invention with the locking
flap in its locked position;
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 8--8 of FIG.
7;
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the combined
pouch and carrying bag of this invention;
FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 9 in
schematic form;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of the pouch of the embodiment
of FIG. 9 in locked position;
FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of another embodiment of the
invention, illustrating the storage pouch integrally attached to an
article of clothing; and
FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 13--13 of FIG.
12, showing the storage pouch in schematic form.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention is a storage pouch 13 in combination with a
collapsible article made of flexible material, such as collapsible
bag 11 or jacket 12. The storage pouch is attached to the article
for easy storage of the bag or jacket or other article. While the
storage pouch is described in greater detail herein in combination
with a collapsible bag having additional desirable features, the
invention also comprises the storage pouch in combination with
other collapsible articles, such as lightweight jackets, raincoats,
etc.
The bag 11 may be a conventional carrying bag of any size having a
bottom portion 15 and wall portions 17, 19 that form an opening at
their upper ends. The bag can be made from any strong flexible
lightweight material so that it can be easily folded up for
storage, yet be durable for carrying heavy items when in use. A
synthetic fabric, such as nylon, which is also water-resistant and
easily washable, is a particularly suitable fabric for the bag of
this invention. The bag may be constructed from a single
rectangular piece of fabric which is preferably hemmed at each end.
The fabric may then be folded and the longitudinal edges can be
joined together in two seams 21, 23 forming the side walls 17, 19.
Short seams 25 can be sewn at each end at the bottom perpendicular
to the side seams, to define a rectangular shaped bottom, if
desired.
Handles 27, 29 are attached to the bag 11 near its open end. The
handles may each be formed from a strip of the same fabric used for
the bag and sewn together in a width manageable for carrying by
hand or over the shoulder. These strap-like handles are anchored to
the bag proximate the opening formed by the upper ends of the walls
17, 19 at opposed positions suitable for use in carrying the bag.
The two ends of one handle may be secured to one wall of the bag or
one end of a handle may be attached to one wall relatively near the
side seam and the opposite end of the handle may be secured to the
opposite wall in a corresponding position, as illustrated in FIG.
1.
A pair of smaller alignment handles 31, 33 opposed to each other
may also be included on the bag 11. These handles, which may be
attached to the exterior of the bag proximate its open end, may be
loop-like handles disposed substantially parallel to the upper ends
of the walls and in alignment with the top hem of the bag. These
alignment handles are particularly useful for sliding onto the
projections of typical bag racks at grocery stores which are used
to hold disposable plastic bags open and upright while groceries
are placed in the bags. The bags may then be easily slipped off the
rack supports after being filled and may be carried away. Thus,
this feature facilitates the packing of items in the bags, making
these bags as convenient to use as the typical disposable plastic
bags, but stronger. The lightweight reusable bags are conveniently
stored in their empty state in an attached pouch.
This invention also includes an unique storage pouch 13 integrally
attached to the bag 11 or other article, such as jacket 12. An
article of clothing may be constructed in typical fashion and will
customarily have a front surface 18 and back surface 20 and the
pouch may be attached to either surface. This pouch is used to
store the bag or other article, after it has been folded or
compressed into a collapsed condition and inserted into the pouch,
as a relatively small compact pillow-shaped container which is easy
to carry in a purse or a pocket. This pouch 13 has a support wall
37 and a panel 39 attached on three sides to the support wall and
to the bag 11 or other article 12 forming a pocket-like opening 41
in the opuch. A locking flap 43 is attached along its one length 45
to the panel of the pouch and it is attached at its two opposite to
the panel of the pouch and it is attached at its two opposite ends
47, 49 to the support wall and the panel of the pouch. When the
pouch is in a first position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 9, and 12, and
the carrying bag or jacket is in its open non-compressed state, the
locking flap is disposed between the support wall and the panel as
can be seen by the diagrammatical illustration of FIG. 2, FIG. 10
and FIG. 13. The pouch is preferably constructed from the same type
of fabric as the bag or other article. Although the pouch and
locking flap may be separately constructed and then attached to the
bag or article so that the support wall is coextensive with a
surface of the bag itself, the pouch is preferably constructed so
that a surface of the bag or other article constitutes the support
wall of the pouch. The panel is a generally rectangular piece of
fabric with an end portion folded inwardly toward said bag to form
the locking flap. This panel 39 with an inwardly folded end portion
may be attached to the bag by stitching along the opposite ends 47,
49 of the panel and along its non-folded edge 51 to form a
pocket-like opening at its folded edge 41. The locking flap, which
in the embodiments shown herein is the folded-over extension of the
panel, is also therefore automatically anchored at its opposite
ends, as well, and is disposed between the surface of the bag 11 or
article 12 and the panel while the pouch is in its first (empty)
position.
When it is desired to store the carrying bag 11 or jacket 12 or
other article, one can easily reverse the pouch 13 by inserting
one's hands as shown in FIG. 3 into the opening 41 and turning the
pouch inside out. The bag can then be compressed and stuffed into
the pouch, as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5. When the pouch is so
reversed, the locking flap 43, now disposed on the exterior of the
pouch as can be seen in FIG. 4, is then folded over by turning up
edge 43a, as illustrated in FIG. 6, to cover the opening of the
reversed pouch and secure the bag in place without any additional
fastening devices, such as Velcro strips or zippers. The resulting
pouch containing the bag is a compact pillow-type container, as
seen in FIG. 7, which can be easily carried until needed.
The unique design of this pouch 13 allows one to select any size
for the pouch so long as it is at least large enough to contain the
desired article in compressed state. A pouch may be made larger,
however, so that two to five (or more) bags can be placed in the
pouch in addition to the one to which the pouch is attached before
the pouch is turned inside out and the locking flap 43 folded over.
The width of the locking flap, in any case, should be at least
one-half the width of the panel 39 of the pouch, the width being
measured in a direction from the folded edge 45 toward the upper
edge 51. Desirably, for carrying bags, two pouches are used on each
bag, one sized to fit a single bag and one sized to fit multiple
bags. The two pouches may be separately attached to the bag or they
can be easily constructed together, as seen in FIG. 9, by sewing a
single large pouch 53 onto the bag with locking flap 43 folded
inwardly as described above and then stitching a seam 55 along the
width of the pouch 53 to divide it into two different sized pouches
53a, 53b.
The larger-sized pouch 53a may also include a pouch handle 57. This
handle may be a hand-sized loop formed of the same fabric from
which the pouch is constructed and may be attached to the interior
of the pouch when the pouch is in its first position. When a large
pouch is turned inside out and the locking flap is reversed, the
handle 57 provides a convenient means for carrying the pouch
containing five or six reusable bags.
The pouch 13 (or pouches 53a, 53b) may be located inside the bag or
other article as seen in FIG. 1 or outside it as in FIG. 9 and FIG.
12 and may be placed anywhere on the surface of the bag. However,
the pouch is conveniently disposed on a carrying bag on the
exterior of the bag proximate the opening and is centrally
positioned between the handles 27, 29. The pouch 13 may be placed
on either the exterior or interior of another article, such as
jacket 12. The pouch may be placed in any direction on the article,
as well, so that the pocket-like opening faces the lower portion of
the article as seen in FIGS. 1, 2, 9 and 10, or so that it faces
the upper portion of the article, as illustrated in FIGS. 12 and
13. It can be seen that the pouch of this invention can be adapted
in size and location for a variety of uses and a variety of
collapsible articles. The jacket or other article may be stored in
compressed state in the pouch until needed.
It can be seen that the closed pouch (of either size) of this
invention can be easily carried into a store, stored bag(s) can be
easily removed from the storage pouch by reversing the steps
described above, the alignment handles of the bag can be slipped
onto the projections of bag racks at the check out counter and held
upright while packed with groceries; the full bag may be carried by
its carrying handles to the consumer's destination, unpacked of its
contents and then easily compressed and stuffed back into its
storage pouch. If necessary, the bags can be easily washed and
dried before reuse.
Thus, this invention provides a solution for those persons who
would like to use a reusable bag but require convenience in storing
and carrying the bag. This invention provides a reusable, sturdy,
yet lightweight, carrying bag which can be easily stored in a pouch
which is integrally attached to it and therefore cannot be detached
and misplaced. Similarly, other articles which may be used in
combination with the storage pouch are advantageously stored and
carried. This pouch is designed to contain the compressed bag or
other article in a compact-sized container which is easy to carry
and is securely locked by a reversible locking flap, rather than by
extrinsic fasteners which can become detached or inoperable and
which necessarily increase the cost of manufacture and the bulk
and/or weight of the pouch.
This invention also uniquely solves the problem of carrying
multiple bags in one pouch by providing a large pouch which can be
divided into a smaller single bag sized pouch and a larger multiple
bag sized pouch by a simple seam thereby making each bag and
attached pouch available for storage for one or more bags, as
needed.
Thus, this invention solves the needs of the prior art. It will be
seen that the above-described invention will achieve all the
advantages and objects attributed to it, and while it has been
described in detail, it is not to be limited to such details except
as may be necessitated by the appended claim.
* * * * *